It’s lovely to have a real Christmas tree in the house but come Twelfth Night (6th January) when it’s traditional to rid your home of all the Christmas decorations, what do you do with it?

Thankfully Ealing Council is again collecting Christmas trees put out on the usual refuse and recycling day in early January (but do remember there are changes in the collection day until 13th January). Tree trunks mustn’t be any bigger than 20cm and the trees must be under 6ft in height (you can cut taller trees in two) with all decorations removed. These trees will then be composted. Normal garden waste collections for subscribers will not take place during this period.

You can also take your tree along to Kew Gardens after the festivities are over. Trees can be dropped off at Brentford Gate from December 26 to mid-January, during normal Garden opening hours and then see where it will end up by viewing one of the biggest non-commercial compost heaps in Europe from the platform in the Pinetum.